Daegu
by SilentWolf76
Summary: Korea suffers through the Daegu Subway Fire, 2003. Luckily, China and Taiwan are there to help their brother in his time of need.


**A/N: As it says in the summary, this fic is about the Daegu Subway Fire in South Korea. I haven't seen any fics about it, so…I'm the first?**

 **Oh, and human names are used: South Korea – Im Yong Soo, China – Yao Wang and Taiwan – Xiao Mei. I had a bit of trouble with Taiwan's name, but that was one that was listed frequently, and I kinda like it.**

 **Hope you enjoy~**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia**

* * *

~February 18th, 2003~

"Aiyah; I can't believe you two _invited_ yourselves over and never bothered to _tell_ me!" China folded his arms, glaring at South Korea and Taiwan, who looked like a pair of kicked puppies.

Of course, Korea never stayed miserable for long. "Think about it this way, aniki! You get a lovely surprise visit from your (favourite) siblings!"

"Who said you were my favourite…never mind. I'm not getting into that." China sighed, before glancing at the clock that hung in his living room. "It's 9:45 in the morning; couldn't you have at least waited until noon?"

"No; we wanted to see aniki _now_ ~" Taiwan argued cheerfully.

China groaned, but decided not to kick them out. "How long are you going to stay? It better not turn into a sleepover, aru!"

Instead of answering, the Korean frowned, before shaking his head. This did not go unnoticed.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Yong Soo?" Taiwan asked, shuffling closer.

"Nothing. Just…got a bad feeling about something." He shrugged, before brightening. "Hey, hey! I'm hungry!"

"What?! At _this_ time?! You're crazy!" The oldest nation's eyes widened.

"Maybe, but I'm hungry anyway. What snacks you got?" Korea beamed, bouncing around.

China groaned again. "I'll go get something. Mei, can you make sure he stays sat down at the table til I come back? I don't want half my house destroyed."

"Mkay! C'mon, to the table!" The Taiwanese nation grabbed the dark-haired teen and steered him to the table, leaving the host to get food.

 _I can't believe he's actually hungry, considering he usually has a fairly large breakfast every day,_ China thought as he walked into the kitchen.

After a few minutes, he was about to exit the kitchen with the food when there was a sudden scream and a thud. _Aiyah, I_ knew _something would be destroyed!_ Grumbling under his breath, his mood quickly changed from irritation to concern when he heard Taiwan yell " _Yao!"_ loudly and desperately.

Leaving the plate in the kitchen, he quick-walked into the room where the others should be, and froze at the sight he was met with.

Korea was writhing on the floor as if trying to escape something, whilst Taiwan was desperately attempting to pin him down. All the while the former was making choked sounds and whimpering.

Quickly recovering from the initial shock of the situation, China automatically assisted the female nation in trying to restrain the Korean.

"Wh-what happened?!" China cried, narrowly avoided being kicked in the face.

"I-I don't know!" Taiwan looked like she was on the verge of tears. "He seemed…subdued suddenly, and I was about to ask if he was okay when he s-suddenly screamed, fell to the floor and started thrashing about!"

The Chinese nation processed her words, biting his lip. _Could it be related to that 'bad feeling' he got from earlier?_ He glanced at the clock again. It read 9:53. _What's going on?! Wait…_ China frowned and closed his eyes, focusing on the breathing patterns around him. Taiwan's was hitched and frantic, but not dangerously rapid. Korea's, on the other hand, was mainly gasps and wheezes as he desperately tried to get some air into his lungs. _Why can't he breathe? I don't understand,_ he thought as he opened his eyes.

He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as Korea screamed again, although his voice cracked and it still sounded like he didn't have enough air in his lungs to form a proper scream. However, his movements were becoming weaker, as if his energy was being drained away.

"Korea? Can you hear me?" China leant closer to the teen's face, but got no response. "Yong Soo? Please, answer me aru!" The only answer he got was a sudden jerk that spread through the Korean's entire body like a ripple and another choked, pained gasp. To make things worse, a single tear escaped through the tiny cracks in his tightly shut eyes, which seemed to break the dam.

"Oh, please don't cry!" Taiwan looked like she was on the verge of tears herself as she sniffed and gave up trying to pin him down as his thrashing appeared to have ceased for the time being.

The older nation followed the Taiwanese's example, and leant back a bit to give Korea some space. He still seemed to be suffocating; but from what they had no idea. He wasn't asthmatic, and it was just so… _sudden_ , that their minds drew a blank on what could possibly be the cause.

"H-help!" Korea choked out, desperately flailing as if trying to reach something that would help his sudden suffering.

"Oh, please tell us what's wrong!" Taiwan cried, narrowly avoiding being hit in the face.

China frowned, acting quickly and restraining the Korean's arms as he leant over him and brought his face close to the latter's. "Yong Soo, listen to me aru. Can you do that?"

He got no immediate response, and was about to repeat what he said when Korea gasped and his eyes flew wide open, easily noticeable pain and panic in them.

"A-aniki!" He wheezed, thrashing dying down as he seemed to realise where he was.

"Thank God." China breathed a sigh of relief and released him. "What happened aru?"

"F-fire…" The brunette winced and curled his fingers into the area where his heart was.

Taiwan frowned. "'Fire'? A fire caused this?"

 _Obviously not a minor one,_ China silently added as the teen shakily nodded, breath hitching and, much to their dismay, increasing. _Is it from a bomb? No, I don't think so._ The long-haired nation ruled out that possibility almost immediately. _If it was just a large fire, then the question is: was it purposeful, or accidental? By the looks of Yong Soo, people may have died. So…manslaughter, or homicide? Or would it be classed as arson?_ He bit his lip and shook his head, already feeling a slight headache coming on. _I'm not a detective; why am I thinking about this? It may just have been an accident and only the person who caused it died or something. I don't even know the details._

The long-haired female became even more concerned at Korea's pained whimpering and choked gasps. "Yo-" Any further comment was cut off as he yelped and began struggling with something.

This startled China and caused him to freeze. Fortunately, Taiwan leapt into action again, practically _pouncing_ on top of the brunette and pining him down with her entire body, all the while talking to him as calmly as she could, ignoring the way her long hair cascaded down and acted as a curtain, shielding both of their faces from the Chinaman's view.

"Yong Soo, please speak to me. Speak to _us._ We can't help you if we don't know what's wrong. I know you can hear me, so please. Talk to me." She was becoming more desperate as it seemed as if Korea couldn't hear her – or couldn't reply. "Please, Yong Soo!"

"C-ca…ca…" He choked, not opening his eyes.

"What? What is it?" Taiwan leant closer, unable to make out what he was trying to say.

"…ca-an…" he was quiet for a few seconds before bursting out in a high-pitched voice, " _cantbreathe!"_

She frowned as she broke down the smashed-together words. _'Can't breathe'? He can't breathe?! Th-this is bad!_ She thought as she raised her head and jerked her head to the side, effectively moving some of her hair to see China.

"He can't breathe! We need to focus on that above anything else!" She called to him in a distressed tone.

"B-Budi! Doum!" Korea cried, voice cracking as his pain heightened. (budi and doum are Korean for please and help.)

"Shh, it's okay…" China cooed softly as he stroked the teen's head, feeling rather helpless. After all, if there really was a fire, what could he possibly do? "You'll be alright; just try and take deep breaths, aru."

"I-I… _can't!"_ He gasped, before shuddering and passing out – presumably from lack of oxygen.

"Korea? H-hey, are you okay? Yong Soo?!" Taiwan was scared by the lack of response and looked downright _hysterical_ before the older nation quickly pulled her away from the unconscious Korean and scooped the latter up in his arms.

"Y-Yao? What are you doing?" Taiwan asked uncertainly.

China glanced at his younger sister and put on a strong face. He had to be strong for her and Korea. They relied on him, so he couldn't disappoint, even if he felt worried, scared and helpless. "We can't leave him on the floor, Mei." His voice sounded confident, but the slight wavers in it tore down that act instantly. But still, he had to sound as confident as he could. As strong as he could. "I'm going to take him to bed aru."

"O-oh. Um…" She trailed off, feeling lost.

"Could you make some tea aru? He's probably got a sore throat – not to mention it might relax him when he wakes up." Nodding, Taiwan ran off, glad she had been told what to do, instead of having to try and figure it out herself.

The older nation sighed and glanced at Korea's face, displeased by the shallow, strained gasps that were supposed to be breaths. _I want to know what's going on, but now is not the time. I think Yong Soo's currently in UMT._ He cursed under his breath as he ascended the stairs.

* * *

~In Korea's head~

 _I'm in a…train? Yeah, a train- wait no, not a train; trains aren't supposed to be burning. They aren't supposed to be full of suffocating smoke._

 _But this one is._

 _I cough as the smoke fills my lungs, taking up so much room that there's no place for the fresh oxygen that my body so desperately needs. I see people –_ my _people – in the same boat as I, coughing and trying to shy away from the raging fire._

 _Ah, yes. The fire._

 _It's huge. It devours anything and everything in its path. At the moment, it's engulfing the entire train carriage that I find myself situated in. I swear I was at aniki's house, though; so why am I here?_

 _Oh, wait. Of course._

 _The UMT thingy that Yao lectured me about that time. What does it stand for again? Universal? No…um…oh yeah! Unconscious Mind Transfer, I think it is. Something about if your country is under attack, or there's a fire, stuff like that, then the nation will pass out and they will 'wake up' right in the middle of the event that's underway. Lucky me. Right in the middle of a fire. Fun._

 _Obviously, we don't_ actually _wake up in the middle of the crisis. That would be kinda hard to explain, y'know? But our minds are transferred, so we're sorta like ghosts, in a way, except no-one can see us. That kinda sucks, 'cause I keep getting shoved out the way right now._

 _I try to ignore the burning sensation creeping up my 'arm' as I wonder why the UMT even exists. Well…I suppose it's because 'we must be with our people in times of suffering'. Still, isn't it rather rough to basically have your soul temporarily yanked out of your body and shoved into the middle of a crisis?_

 _I whip my head round at a faint_ thud _behind me – one which I barely caught over the crackle of the greedy flames. There was a young child lying on the floor, and I knew from the slight twinge of pain in my chest that they were dead. How cruel it is, to have an unlived life taken in a devilish act._

 _But is this a fire that's been created on purpose? Or simply an accident? Whatever it is, it's still a fire, and people are still dying because of it._

 _I cough again, my eyes watering from the intoxicating smoke that presses in on me from every side. I'm trapped in this oven, with the flames cooking me. However, I'm actually glad that I'm not in my body (_ wow _, that sounds weird), simply because I wouldn't feel a small twinge in my chest when someone died – it would be much worse. It sickens me to say this, but in war, the pain when someone is killed instead of peacefully dying is a pain that you soon get used to, and eventually you don't even feel it; as if you've become numb to the death of your people. It's awful._

 _Also, I'm glad I can't feel that painful, uncomfortable burning sensation that attacked me when this first started. I know that when I inevitably return to my body, it will hit me full-force, unless the fire gets put out before that. But that's doubtful, seeing as the UMT only lasts about half an hour, and it's already been…what, ten, fifteen minutes?_

 _Another twinge of pain in my chest. Another life lost to this relentless fire._

 _I cough once more, hating how people –_ my _people - are dying around me and there's nothing I can do about it._

* * *

~China's house~

China sat by Korea as he struggled through the fire. The tea Taiwan had made was starting to go cold, but he failed multiple times to wake the suffering teen up. As he waited, he'd discovered burns covering his right abdomen and instantly quick-walked to the bathroom to get supplies for treating burns, and then proceeding to do just that.

But it had already been half an hour since Korea passed out, and he wasn't showing any signs of waking, which unnerved China. UMTs (he was certain that that was what the brunette was currently dealing with) are only supposed to last half an hour exactly, so why hadn't he woken up yet?

"Yong Soo, can you hear me? Are you awake?" He sighed when he was met with silence, save for the weak gasps for breaths. "Y'know, immediate answering originated from Korea." Even this elicited no response from the Korean, despite being almost certain that it would. Cursing, he crouched on the bed and shook his younger brother's shoulders. "Wake up aru! Yong Soo!" He was becoming more desperate by the second. "Say something!"

There was a feeble cough from the person under him, and then, "…I'm giv-giving…up o-on…you…"

China was conflicted with two strong urges; to smack him and to hug him. Instead, he opted for leaning back and watching as Korea opened his eyes. They were filled with pain, but at least they weren't screwed shut.

"Heh…that s-song…ori-orginated from…K-Korea…da ze…" He tried to smile, but it failed miserably as he grimaced and curled up on his side, clutching his right abdomen. He released a low whine and coughed weakly into the covers as his jaw clenched in an effort to keep his eyes open and force the pain down.

"Oh, thank God aru." China sighed with relief before trying to help the pained teen.

Taiwan entered the room and, upon seeing her brother awake, cried, "Yong Soo!" in delight and practically _leapt_ at him, hugging the life out of him and dragging China down with them.

The ponytailed nation couldn't find it in himself to tell Taiwan to get off; nor did he want her to, anyway, as he brought his arms around to embrace his younger siblings.

* * *

~The next day~

The incident was on TV before long, and when China first saw it, he was horrified.

" _Suspected arson…believed to be about 192 dead, and a further 151 injured, including the person behind the fire…"_ He turned the TV off shortly after hearing that.

 _Almost 200 people died,_ he thought, _how awful. So many people…_

Getting up, he knew that he had to tell Korea the figures, so he headed upstairs (albeit reluctantly) and entered his room.

"Yong Soo?" He called, and said teen looked up. His eyes were hollow and he looked as if he'd recently been crying. "I-I have the figures for casualties – both dead and injured - if you-"

"I had my boss on the phone a few minutes ago." He interrupted in a dull voice. "I-I know."

"O-oh." Korea had been improving quickly after the fire had been put out, but the news must have emotionally hit him hard.

China didn't have to say anything as he walked over and opened his arms, soon being greeted with the body heat of his younger brother pressed against his chest as he sat on the edge of the bed. He noticed the shaking of the taller (yet younger) nation's shoulders and instantly knew that he was crying. After all, who wouldn't?

"It's okay, just let it out aru," he murmured, gently rocking him back and forth like he did when the Korean was small and had a nightmare, "you'll be okay. You're strong. You'll recover in due time, but right now, you need to mourn."

Korea only whimpered and buried his face further into China's chest. "Wh-why?" He mumbled, voice muffled by the Chinaman's clothing.

The older nation sighed and rubbed his brother's back. "The world is a cruel, cruel place, Yong Soo. Things like this happen a lot. Innocent people who have done nothing wrong are made to suffer by the hands of – most often – strangers. Sometimes, their lives are changed, and sometimes, their lives are ended. World peace is so far out of reach that it seems impossible. There will always be conflict. There will always be crime. We just have to pick ourselves back up when we're brought to our knees, and fight through the hardships in life to a world with peace. That is how the world moves forward. That is how _we_ move forward."

The dark-haired teen smiled and fell asleep in the arms of his caring older brother, while Taiwan watched from the door, also smiling as she knew that Korea would heed China's words, and pick himself back up. He'd carry on pushing through life because he was strong. And that was one of the many reasons why Taiwan was proud to be Korea's sister.

* * *

 **A/N: Aaaaaand done! I just wanted to write about the tragic event, in memory of all those who perished, and those who live today with the scars.**

 **Oh, and my Korean sucks. Google translate hopefully got it right, 'cause I literally only know English, French and German. Then I'm stuck. Well…does knowing a couple of words count as knowing languages? 'Cause if so, then I know like, 8 other languages. Nah, probably not. Oh well.**

 **Thanks for reading, and don't forget to comment (they inspire me to write more)~**


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